Glenwood taps Jason Gibson to head football program

Columbus Lions coach Jason Gibson eats, sleeps and breathes football. So much, in fact, that one helping just wasn’t enough.

Gibson was introduced on Friday as the new football coach at Glenwood during an announcement in the school’s gymnasium. The 10-year veteran of the Lions professional franchise will retain his positition with that team going forward, splitting his time between the two programs. The Lions play their games in the spring, while Glenwood, of course, plays in the fall.

“That’s what I do,” Gibson said when asked how he’ll juggle the two roles. “I run around with my hair caught on fire. I’ve got more energy than everyone in this room combined. … I’ve done it before. I’ve done it in the past. We had to think outside the box of what we could do to bring energy to the program, bring excitement. It’s actually going to benefit both programs.”

Gibson has spent time as both an assistant and head coach at the high school level in the past, leading the Eastern Guilford (N.C.) program for two years prior to coming to Columbus to coach the Lions. Everything over the course of his career for the past decade has been dedicated to making it at the professional level. Now, he said, it’s time to give back.

In an emotional moment, he described his high school coach who took over prior to his senior season at Calvert High (Md.). After winning just a few games in each of his first three seasons in high school, Gibson said his coached turned around the program and his future, helping him to get play in college at Fairmont State, in the CFL and eventually becoming a coach.

“At some point, you’ve got to give back,” Gibson said. “That coach, for me, changed the course of my life.”

While the level and style of football will be different between the Lions and Glenwood, Gibson said the basics are the same no matter what.

“Football doesn’t change,” he said. “You block and you tackle. That’s all you do. … That hasn’t changed. What has changed is my knowledge of being at the pro level, how to practice. It’s not just going out there and banging heads. The main thing is how to manage people.”

He said he wanted to improve the numbers in the Glenwood program, and that doesn’t happen overnight.

“I could stand here and give a rah-rah speech and tell you how great it’s going to be,” he said. “Bottom line is I’m going to get out there and work my butt off, and they’re going to see that and follow that.”

Glenwood went 4-6 last season and lost in the first round of the AISA state playoffs. Former coach Tripp Henderson resigned his position as head coach less than two weeks ago. School headmaster Frankie Mitcham said, upon Henderson’s resignation, they already had five individuals targeted as his replacement. They interviewed those five and selected Gibson on Monday.

Gibson has already begun work for the school and met current and potential players at a meeting on Friday. He said he has not determined assistant coaching positions yet.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 11:24 AM with the headline "Glenwood taps Jason Gibson to head football program."